Nitin Gadkari stresses good training for drivers to curb road accidents

Driving or riding in the wrong lane and sudden lane changes are some of the key reasons behind road accidents.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has emphasised the importance of proper training for drivers in lane discipline and traffic regulations in an attempt to curb road accidents. He said this while noting that road accidents result in 1.8 lakh deaths every year. While there are a lot of reasons behind these road accident fatalities, driving or riding in the wrong lane and sudden lane changes are some of the key reasons. Over-speeding and rash driving caused most road accidents in the country last year, as the data by MoRTH revealed.

Driving or riding in the wrong lane and sudden lane changes are some of the key reasons behind road accidents.

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The minister stated in Parliament that there are a lot of reasons behind such deaths, but the most important thing is the behaviour of the human being. "In our country, we need good training for drivers," he said, while adding that scientific training of drivers on lane discipline and traffic rules is very important.

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Responding to questions regarding the fatalities due to accidents on national highways, the minister stated that the number of such deaths has reduced for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, registering a decline of 4% to 62,122 in 2025. He said that accident-related fatalities on national highways were 64,772 in 2024 and 63,112 in 2023. However, in 2025, the number of road accidents went up by 5.30% to over 5.13 lakh, resulting in deaths of 21 persons across the country every hour.

A total of 513,563 road accidents have been reported by police departments of states and Union Territories across India during the calendar year 2025, claiming 183,382 lives. While the total number of road accidents on national highways in 2025 was 143,526, the figure stood at 77,234 in this year as of July 27, said Gadkari. Amongst states, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents at 71,387, whereas Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of accident-related fatalities at 27,550 in 2025.